Reflect & Write: Lev Grossman, “It's Free!”

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Reflect & Write: Lev Grossman, “It’s Free!” Text: Lev Grossman, “It’s Free!” Time Magazine May 5, 2003. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,447204,00.html Envision Connection: Read in conjunction with Chapter 11, “Who Owns Popular Culture?” Background: Lev Grossman is a notable book critic and interviewer, who has interviewed figures as varied as Tom Clancy, Bill Gates, and Salman Rushdie. His writing has appeared in numerous prominent publications, including Time Magazine, The New York Times, Lingua Franca, the Village Voice and Salon. This article was first published in the May 5, 2003, issue of Time. Reflect & Write • Look carefully at Grossman’s rhetorical choices in his first paragraph. How does he situate the reader in relation to Phung? What stylistic tools does he use to accomplish this? Now look at the second paragraph. What is the effect of qualifying the statement “Every month they download . .” with the phrase “or is it we?”? Does this change the audience’s stance? Look elsewhere in the article to see how he uses personal pronouns (“we” and “you”) to subtly influence his argument. • How does Grossman represent both sides of the argument? Find two places in the article where he gives both the pro-downloading and the antidownloading positions on this issue. Does he seem to favor one more than the other? How can we tell? • How does Grossman use logos—facts and statistics—to build his argument? How does he use specific example? • Write: Look carefully at the structure of this article. Write a reverse outline for this piece (that is, try to reconstruct the outline that Grossman might have used in drafting. Why does Grossman choose to develop his argument in this way? Was this an effective structure for his argument? Why or why not? How does his structure reflect his understanding of the rhetorical situation in which he was writing? Compose a reflection based on your answers to these questions. Christine Alfano & Alyssa O’Brien, Envision In Depth. 2nd edition. NY: Pearson, 2010. .

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